RLB POST BLUES

Football scientist, Regis Le Bris, was as steady as ever after Sunderland's excellent win at Chelsea. He insists that survival is still the aim, despite the Black Cats now officially being the best club in the world after beating the World Champions...

STAYED IN THE GAME

“It’s a good performance, especially after conceding the early goal. It wasn’t obvious that we would stay in the game, but after about 15 minutes we found the right balance."

TACTICAL SWITCH

"We had good quality on the ball with the extra body in there making four midfielders and we had the ability to defend high when it was possible. But then we could also set a deep block that was really strong, well-connected and hard to beat. That meant we could protect our goal and prevent Chelsea from getting through."

HARD FOUGHT WIN

“I didn’t really change the game plan – that was the way we wanted to build this game – but when you are on the pitch, it’s different. Emotionally, I think it’s sometimes difficult to find the right balance. We still have a really young squad, with limited experience. So, we have to learn from different situations. This one was really positive in the end, but we were right on the edge in the first few minutes.”

SURVIVAL STILL THE AIM

“Exactly the same, 40 points as soon as possible. We need three more points to be even halfway. We know it's important to start well because it can give confidence and belief. We know it can be difficult to break a negative mindset so to start like this is important, and we are very happy for our fans.”